The smooth transition of the EU drug agency from London to Amsterdam is threatened by delays in the Netherlands, whose bid to win the agency may have been misleading, a top representative of Italian pharmaceuticals told EURACTIV.com.

Public health organisations and EU lawmakers say the closed-door meetings before the submission of a new drug between the pharma industry and the European Medicines Agency (EMA), a key player in the continent’s healthcare industry, should be more transparent.

The competition for the European Medicines Agency is not a horse race but the first concrete, effective decision the EU has to make in the wake of Brexit - and one with long-lasting consequences. A responsible yet ambitious mindset is therefore in order, writes Sandro Gozi.